Chapter 156: The Jingzhao Governor Protects His Own Above All Else

Just as Du Siwen said, tonight was not only full of stars, but also happened to be the fifteenth day of the eighth month, with a bright full moon hanging high in the sky. Walking under the clear moonlight, Du Siwen’s footsteps were somewhat unsteady. Since most of the府廨 (official yamen) runners had gathered at the Bead-Stringing Hall to await orders, only Du Shiyi and his brother Du Shihan supported him, one on each side. The commotion from the Bead-Stringing Hall gradually faded away, leaving behind only the sound of the three men’s footsteps.

"Nineteenth Young Master, back when I first brought you in and out of the mansions of princes and nobles, I only felt that you were far too unworldly. Apart from when you were brimming with literary spirit while chanting poems and composing odes, your adaptability at all other times fell far short. I never expected that after studying at Mount Song for several years, not only did you pick up a whole lot of other things, but your boldness has also grown tremendously!" Du Siwen suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned his head to stare intently at Du Shiyi, and then said word by word, "Take a look at the Bead-Stringing Hall. How many crucial figures are gathered there at this very moment? If I hadn't withdrawn early, I'm afraid I would have clashed head-on with that Duke of Huo, General Wang right now."

"This junior simply didn't wish to be the fish and the chopping board while others were the cleaver and the knife," Du Shiyi replied. Just as his voice trailed off, he noticed Du Shihan standing behind Du Siwen giving him a vigorous thumbs-up. He couldn't help but smile faintly, and then said sincerely, "To have troubled the Elder Uncle to make a special trip from Zhuopo to Chang'an to clear up this mess, this junior is endlessly grateful."

"If you hadn't caught up with the prefectural examination, and if I hadn't heard that you passed every single session with flying colors, I wouldn't have come! Favoring one's own kin requires looking at who the person is. This old face of mine isn't what it used to be; every time I use it, there's one less time left. Had I not communicated with the person in the inner palace, I wouldn't have rashly meddled in this affair. Fortunately, Yang Sixu arrived in time." Du Siwen ungraciously tossed his right-hand cane to Du Shihan beside him. Seeing the young man's bitter expression—neither knowing whether to hold it with both hands nor how to use it as a walking stick—he chuckled heartily and said, "Thirteenth Young Master, since you are wholeheartedly bent on becoming a knight-errant, you should at least have this much strength! Remember, you are not allowed to nick or scratch it by even a fraction, otherwise you will have to carve a brand-new cane for me just like the original one when we get back."

With that, he left Du Shihan behind and motioned for Du Shiyi to support him as he continued forward. Having once served as the Mayor of Jingzhao, he was extremely familiar with the Jingzhao prefectural offices. Guiding Du Shiyi through twists and turns for a while, they finally arrived at a hexagonal pavilion with a pyramidal roof. Sitting directly on the floor inside the pavilion, he looked at Du Shiyi and asked, "Do you know how perilous your actions were this time?"

"Originally, I didn't fully realize it. However, after going to the Jade True Taoist Temple in Fuxing Ward to meet Her Imperial Highness, and learning the reason why I was blocked outside the city gates, I faintly began to guess."

"Since you were wholeheartedly devoted to taking the examinations these past three days, it is no wonder you didn't know. However, even though this matter has clearly become irreversible, a brave man cutting off his wrist to save his life is something others are naturally capable of doing. After this incident, the people you have offended are the entire Northern Gate Imperial Guard, which is exceptionally unfavorable for your future as an official."

"When I secured those culprits and found myself unable to either execute them or let them go, I had already prepared myself mentally for this," Du Shiyi said with a bitter smile, but immediately added with calm assurance, "Whether it's giving offense, making enemies, or being viewed as a thorn in their side—at least those overly blatant methods can no longer be employed. Otherwise, with today's case causing such an uproar throughout the city, if there were another assassination or highway robbery of this sort, everyone would know who the mastermind behind the scenes is. As for the future... if one cannot even survive the present, what future is there to speak of? If the guards sent by the Cui family to escort me back had not all been former trusted confidants of the Duke of Zhaoguo—men combining wisdom and valor—even my life would have been lost."

"You, oh you." Du Siwen shook his head in regret. Yet, thinking that the mastermind behind this was most likely some lawless junior of the Wang family overstepping his elders to poke such a gigantic hornet's nest, he instead felt that Du Shiyi's daring was at least much less of a headache than that of the other party. Seizing the opportunity, he carefully inquired about how Du Shiyi had fared in the three sessions of the prefectural examination. He even specifically singled out the "Rhapsody on the Nine Virtues" and the policy essay on the Fubing militia system, having Du Shiyi recite them once. Then, stroking his chin in thought, he suddenly stood up without needing Du Shiyi's support.

"Elder Uncle?"

"Since we used the excuse of seeing Old Man Yuan to slip away, how can we not go and see that Mayor of Jingzhao who is likewise hiding away to find peace and quiet?"

Upon learning that Du Siwen had arrived with his two grand-nephews, a deep sense of helplessness instantly appeared on the face of the Mayor of Jingzhao, Yuan Qianyao. When Du Siwen was an official at court, he was the most difficult old fox to deal with. When stubborn, he was harder than stone; when cunning, he was slicker than oil. Today, the Jingzhao prefectural office had turned into a bed of burning coals with wave after wave of distinguished visitors arriving. Though he had hidden away under the pretext of illness, he still couldn't stop this Zhuopo public figure who openly claimed to have come to back up Du Shiyi, yet at the crucial moment had pulled everyone away to hide completely—not to mention that the man brazenly claimed he was here to visit him in his illness!

At this moment, Li Linfu, who had been there for quite a while, softly asked from the side, "Lord Yuan, should I withdraw for a moment?"

"No need to withdraw. The Zhuopo Jingzhao official is the most adept at seizing leverage and exploiting loopholes. I am old now and may not match your quick wits. Ge-nu, stay by my side to remind me." Saying this, Yuan Qianyao added with some helplessness, "Earlier, Liuzi said you were drinking with your maternal uncle, the Duke of Chu. Clearly, he was already drunk, yet he still rushed to the Jingzhao prefectural office like he was driving away rabbits. Who knows how many people will be startled today!"

"At most there will be General Wang as well. The rest probably won't rush over during this time of night curfew."

Li Linfu had originally paid extreme attention to this matter, but he had merely put on a polite gesture of withdrawing. Since Yuan Qianyao asked him to stay, he naturally took the opportunity to stand respectfully beside the couch. In a flash, he saw a white-haired elder enter the room, supported by two young men on either side. Although the man looked well past seventy, judging by his glowing complexion and spirited demeanor, it was clear he was a hardened and resilient old sly fox. Therefore, glancing at Yuan Qianyao, who was lying down pretending to be ill, Li Linfu immediately stepped forward with a full smile and greeted, "Lord Du has arrived."

"Ah, why, it's Tenth Young Master Li!" Du Siwen called out the name before Li Linfu could introduce himself, and then said with a smile, "With Lord Yuan falling ill like this, none of your Eastern Capital descendants have hurried over yet. Fortunately, you are here attending to him; such filial piety is truly commendable. By the way, where is Sixteenth Young Master Yuan?"

Hearing Du Siwen directly ask about Yuan Guangcheng, how could Yuan Qianyao not know that this old fellow had relied on his network advantages from having once served as Mayor of Jingzhao to hide in the dark and find out everything that needed to be found? If he were to stubbornly play deaf and dumb, it would only make people laugh at him. Therefore, he shifted his body sideways. Waiting until Li Linfu tactfully lowered his head, bent his waist, and helped him up, he then spoke with a half-true, half-false air of fatigue: "Brother Du is indeed carefree! Retiring to the mountains and returning home, your complexion is actually better now than it was back then!"

"Zhuopo is a place gifted with divine energy and outstanding people; naturally, it is a wonderful place for self-cultivation and nurturing one's character." Du Siwen smilingly sat down on a couch in front of the bed, comfortably resting one leg hanging down while the other was folded beneath him. "We are not outsiders here, so allow me to sit a bit more freely."

Who is not an outsider with you!

Yuan Qianyao inwardly slandered, but his gaze quickly fell upon the two young men behind Du Siwen. The tall, robust fellow who was clearly trained in martial arts was soon dismissed from his mind, but he lingered for a long time studying the young gentleman in white robes who still carried the dust of travel and traces of blood.

Not only him, but Li Linfu, who had once gone to Mount Song to deliver a decree, was also looking at Du Shiyi with some curiosity. Although more than two years had passed and he didn't retain much impression of the figures he saw back then, looking closely now, he vaguely remembered the young man who had used pretexts to stall him.

Back then, he merely played with rhetorical flourishes; yet the one he was stirring up now was a massive storm both inside and outside the palace!

Having finished his scrutiny, Yuan Qianyao dryly laughed and said, "A Du family lad—truly extraordinary."

This remark carried a double meaning. However, Du Siwen, who had just motioned for both Du Shiyi and Du Shihan to pay their respects, acted as if he didn't understand at all, his eyes crinkling into slits with a smile: "Of course he is extraordinary! Nineteenth Young Master Du seized the top spot in the Wannian County examination. Before this Jingzhao prefectural examination, he ran back and forth between Luoyang and Chang'an, and even suffered an assassination attempt on his return journey. Despite such twists and turns, not only did he make it in time, but I heard that in all three sessions of the prefectural examination, every single one was flawless. Others find it hard to pass the recitation of the classics even in their white-haired years, yet he dashed off all ten scriptural principles within a moment—questions that others couldn't answer after studying for several hours. How could this elder not be overjoyed?"

"Well... I've also heard about the on-the-spot questioning. Being able to recite the Nine Classics backwards is indeed rare." Compelled by circumstances, Yuan Qianyao could only ungraciously reply.

"As for the second session testing the rhapsody, it allowed a former successful candidate of the Jinshi examination, the famously literary trial officer and Assistant Magistrate of Lantian County, Yu Feng, to personally smooth out the paper and stand by his side watching him write the entire essay. The standard goes without saying. The third session of policy essays is likewise: he submitted his paper nearly two hours earlier than everyone else, showing the abundance of his past accumulations. Although Lord Yuan is not a trial officer, you are the current Mayor of Jingzhao. As for this year's Jingzhao prefectural examination, I ask that you impartially review and grade his papers."

Whether it was Yuan Qianyao, Li Linfu, or even Du Shiyi who had accompanied Du Siwen here, all had assumed that the reason this Zhuopo public figure had come was because of the case currently in full swing at the Bead-Stringing Hall. None of them expected him to head straight for this year's Jingzhao prefectural examination instead. In particular, Du Shiyi still remembered Du Siwen telling him clearly back then that because too many people asked favors from the Jingzhao Du clan, they had already announced they would not participate in this year's imperial examinations. Yet now, he was suddenly making such an exception—once this spread, it would inevitably cause a huge uproar!

"Brother Du actually came for Nineteenth Young Master Du's prefectural examination?"

Yuan Qianyao was instantly stunned. Li Linfu beside him also gave a light cough and said, "In this year's Jingzhao prefectural examination, Thirteenth Young Master Wang of Taiyuan unfortunately had to be absent. Although there are other talented youths among the rest, none match Nineteenth Young Master Du's resounding reputation. Furthermore, tonight's case was brought to light precisely through Nineteenth Young Master Du's connections. How could this year's top ranking ever fall to someone else? Lord Du can rest entirely assured."

"That's true. For months now, Nineteenth Young Master's reputation has indeed been like the midday sun. Yet while the world values fame, I, Du Siwen of Zhuopo, still value reality. The so-called matching of fame and reality is what makes a true talent. Once the events of tonight spread, the top ranking will definitely not fall to anyone else, but I am confident that based on Nineteenth Young Master's true talent and practical learning, he can win the top spot on his own merit! If Lord Yuan has leisure, you might as well personally look over Nineteenth Young Master's papers from the second and third sessions. Matters having reached this point, I might as well speak plainly: I do not wish for a talented youth of my Du clan to have others whispering behind his back that his reputation exceeds his reality!"

Instead of talking about the case, Yuan Qianyao finally found the old man before him much more pleasing to the eye, and even Du Shiyi looked outstanding and talented. Besides, this request was not a difficult task, and he immediately agreed on the spot. However, after chatting and laughing for a while, just as he was about to let Li Linfu send the three Du family members out, an unexpected commotion came from outside, followed immediately by an attendant hurriedly entering unannounced.

The newcomer glanced at Du Siwen, Du Shiyi, and Du Shihan, then bowed and said, "Lord Yuan, the Duke of Huo, General Wang, has also arrived at the Bead-Stringing Hall to listen in."

Hearing these words, the room fell into a brief silence. When the man retreated, Du Siwen suddenly chuckled coldly and said, "Tonight's Jingzhao prefectural office is truly raising a boiling uproar."